Medicare outpatient clinical laboratory services payments: relative value scale approach.

The Health Care Financing Administration is in the process of designing a competitive bidding model for the purchase of outpatient clinical laboratory services. One segment of this process involves the development of a relative value scale (RVS). The RVS could be used as part of the bidding process and as the basis of payment. The RVS could also be used as the basis of a national fee schedule, as stipulated in the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984. Potential problems with the development of an RVS from local (carrier) fee schedules for outpatient clinical laboratory services were investigated.